


A Study in Fear

by GrimSylphie



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Bickering, Character Study, Developing Relationship, M/M, Relationship Study, Snark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:29:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28903410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrimSylphie/pseuds/GrimSylphie
Summary: The two men just trying to serve their eldritch fear gods no matter the cost and the love they find along the way.
Relationships: Elias Bouchard | Jonah Magnus/Peter Lukas, Elias Bouchard/Peter Lukas
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A story brought forth by a comment my friend made about how Peter Lukas is often depicted as too dour. To quote “he fucking loves being lonely” and that “he’s just here to have a good time” it was my goal to bring that to life. It was also my goal to bring an Elias that balances the art that shows him as an opulent magpie rat bastard and the canon description of him as an average looking (not obviously maniacal) boss. 
> 
> The first chapter is Elias focused and the second is Peter focused. I think this is the most serious thing I will write about them since most of my headcanons can be summed up as “look at these evil assholes in love with each other and ruining each other’s plans”.

The thing about serving an eldritch being that fed on some of humanities greatest fears was that those who found out before all sense of a moral compass was gone often deemed you as “evil”. Which was a fair but not long lived assessment, since often by the time one found out in any meaningful sense they were too deep into the world of the supernatural to leave. The people who came to see him, and others like him as evil weren’t the sort had a single scare or saw something strange once. They weren’t the ones who came to give a single statement at his institute. They were already on the path of becoming an avatar of fear or a sacrifice to their powers.

Therefore, he never dwelled on the thought that his actions were morally reprehensible. He may have once, back when he was still Jonah Magnus young, hungry for knowledge, and desperate for a way to avoid falling to Terminus. He may have hesitated just a little when he first attempted The Watcher’s Crown but he had been certain it would be for the greater good, better a future under the eye than any of the others. He may have regretted having to take another life so soon after his sacrifice had failed, as he stood in The Panopticon the first time he removed his eyes and set them in a another’s body but again, he knew it was a matter of survival.

Still, time changes all, and as his knowledge grew he came to understand that his ability to continue to serve Beholding, his ability to continue to thwart those who would stop him was one he should be proud of. By the time 1996 rolled around he felt only amused at how easy it was to lure Elias Bouchard into his trap. He considered himself fortunate that he found a suitable candidate at such a young age given he had only been able to live as James Wright for less than a quarter of a century. 

That wasn’t to say he was without feeling, he simply Knew better than most that the moral compass that drove society was flawed as many things humans had devised were. How else could one explain that his trysts with men like Fanshawe and Bennett, things that were once considered dirty and forbidden were now common place and even something to be proud of in many circles. 

There was a certain joy in knowing that he had been in the right all along. That joy was something that permeated much of his life as it quickly became clear that those who enjoyed feeding the beings they served found more success than those who saw it as a chore. It was why Simon Fairchild continued to fall through the sky and bring people into his circle one even now hundreds of years after becoming an Avatar. It was why the Strange pair who most recently styled themselves moving men continued to work, finding new ways to serve their deity. It was why Maxwell Rayner was able to lead so many into the darkness. They all enjoyed what they did. In that way he was much the same. He enjoyed Knowing more than the rest of the world and watching them struggle to put the pieces together. It was like a child attempting to play chess against a grandmaster without really knowing what the pieces did. It was why he kept Gertrude around even after becoming Elias, just to watch her struggle to put the pieces together even after decades ensconced in the supernatural.

There was no greater joy or love than finding something new and unknown and learning until he Knew it completely. Especially after all these years, now that he knew so much. That feeling what led him to court a man after so many years without a meaningful romantic relationship. It was that man’s presence that infatuated him for more than twenty years and led to more than a few new rings in his jewelry box.

Peter Lukas.

Peter was a man who stood out as a perfect vessel for performing the Forsaken’s bidding in a way that not even Mordechai had been. He was the first Lukas in generations who seemed to understand what it took to succeed as an avatar and that fascinated him.

He wasn’t alone in that, he had seen the smirk on Simon’s face when he first introduced Peter to James Wright at a company party back when Peter had barely reached adulthood. At the time he didn’t stand out much, which was rather the point, he was just another Lukas turned pale by the time spent hiding in a fog and avoiding humanity. It wasn’t until he spoke that Jonah even noticed something was different about this one.

In all his years securing funding for his institute from the Lukas coffers he had learned many things. One such thing was the formal, reverent, and downright depressing manner in which they served their god. It made them all but interchangeable. Each one pale, stern, and oh so very depressing. He had always chalked it up to being fed on as much as they fed the fog that surrounded them. Each seemed so resigned to their singularity that they refused any form of joy for fear it would make them less suitable for the task of isolating others. It made sense of course why they were so miserable. Humans were not made to be alone and no matter how much their gods had changed them they all began as humans. Failing for form connections seemed to give them all a subconscious fear that too much human contact would corrupt them. Some seemed unable to even meet someone long enough to shove them into the fog. All of this led to occasional reports of a Lukas getting lost in their own loneliness, just another sacrifice to their god.

None of that, however, described Peter Lukas. The eighteen year old avoided the larger crowds the way any Lukas would but when finally engaged in conversation he didn’t wilt like his family was known to do. In fact he spoke confidently about how learning to take over the duties of institute relations for his family was a stepping stone on his way to receiving one of his uncle’s shipping vessels to do with as he pleased. He and Simon spoke for nearly an hour about a shared love of the vast and lonely sea while Jonah took in the singularly unique Lukas in front of him. 

Eventually, young Peter turned back to him, biting his bottom lip and glancing away from his gaze. He wasn’t certain if it experience with the dealing with The Lukas Family for more than a century or whether it was something he Knew through Beholding but he was certain that the young heir was trying to remember how to cordially tell him to fuck off. He dared not look away though, now curious more than ever what the boy would do. 

“Listen, Mr. Wright, I’m aware that voyeurism is kind of your ‘thing’ but I think there are probably far more interesting things to Watch.” He spoke without trepidation, which was somewhat surprising given how much lonely things hated reminders that they weren’t alone. Things like feeling another’s eyes upon them were entirely unwelcome. It was this knowledge that allowed him to obtain funding increases on more than one occasion when he implied he might watch the Lukas family more than strictly necessary.

“I beg to differ. There is plenty of interest to feast my eyes upon right here.” He watched as the young Lukas struggled to hide his discomfort. 

Fortunately for him Simon came to his rescue. “Come off it James, we don’t want to scare off the first interesting thing to come out of the Lukas family in generations.” 

Simon had been right, Peter Lukas was the first exciting thing that had come from The Forsaken in ages. Further meetings only cemented that fact. During his last few years as James most of his meetings with the Lukas heir were chaperoned Nathanial who likely wanted to ensure that he wasn’t taking advantage of the young scion’s inexperience to rob them blind. He hardly had anything to worry about as it turned out. Peter was more than capable of handling himself. He was sharp, amiable, and a shrewd business man. He hid his distaste for people behind a smile and truly enjoyed his solitude and was eager to feed the being that gave it to him. There were many times when you would hardly know he was a Lukas at all. At least until Nathanial made a critical comment about Peter’s enthusiasm not being becoming of a Lukas heir. Then he would curl his muscular form into himself and shrink down as much as possible to hide without physically fleeing into the embrace of his patron.

It wasn’t until he met Peter as Elias Bouchard that his curiosity grew into the maddening love that would consume what little capacity he had left for personal affection after so many years watching nearly everyone around him fade to death. 

It started at James Wright’s funeral. It was attended by most of the Institute staff, though he had been amused to hear the excuses Gertrude made to justify her absence. Additionally there were several Institute’s benefactors and curious avatars who showed up just to see what it would mean for Beholding. 

Peter was there, his chaperone absent. Jonah waited until the luncheon following the funeral to approach him and introduce himself. He found Peter hiding out at the bar, watching the Institute’s employees mingle and gossip.

“Mr. Lukas, I’m Elias Bouchard, I’ll be stepping in to James’ role as head of The Magnus Institute. I look forward to working with you and your family as they have always been very generous to our cause.” He spoke with the same musical lilt that he maintained through all of his lives. 

Peter had to looked him up and down before looking in his eyes for a long while as if he was trying to find something. He feeling made Jonah feel some combination of trepidation and pleasure. As an emissary of Beholding he hated being watched when he could be doing the watching but he was also a vain creature and the idea that Peter found his new form attractive sent a spark of pleasure through his body.

“Nice to meet you, can I buy you a drink?” Peter remarked with a small smirk. 

Elias settled himself in the barstool next to Peter, ignoring the way the fog of Lonely seemed to curl around the ankles of one of the waiters. “I think it’s hardly buying a drink when it’s an open bar.” 

Peter chuckled and signaled the bartender. “Well, I am one of The Institute’s main benefactor’s so in a sense it is my money paying for it.” 

Jonah found himself laughing. It seemed Peter was even sharper when he wasn’t held back by his family’s opinions of what was and wasn’t appropriate for a Lukas heir or perhaps he was just fond of having someone closer to his own age to talk to. 

He ordered a glass of brandy which led to Peter giving him a strange look. Probably because it wasn’t the drink of choice for people Elias’ age. They started discussing funding but it somehow devolved into betting on the actions of those around them. It was little things like how long would she talk to him or how many drinks could that person handle. Elias would offer up a name of a statement giver that would make a good meal for The Forsaken while Peter offered up his family’s money. Despite knowing his employees far better Jonah found himself letting Peter win, not often, just enough to see the smile that crossed his face when he thought he got one over on Elias. By the time the night ended they had set up a dinner meeting for two weeks in the future. It wasn’t strictly necessary but they were both eager to meet again.

The next few meetings continued in much the same way. They would find somewhere quiet to meet where Peter could feed one or two desperate souls into Forsaken while they watched the world around them from a comfortable distance. Jonah found that he enjoyed watching the people around him even more when Peter was beside him to bet and provide commentary. Before long it became hard to deny that they were dating. 

It was on one of these dates, sitting in front of the windows at a nearly empty restaurant that cemented their relationship as more than just a passing fancy. 

They had been bantering when he made an offhand comment about Mordechai, nothing personal, just “You’re the first Lukas whose entire personality isn’t based around depressing themself into loneliness since Mordechai.” He had said it in response to a very dirty joke Peter had learned from his first mate during his last tour on The Tundra. 

Peter laughed at the compliment and even blushed a bit before asking a question Jonah hadn’t expected. “How would you know that Elias? I can’t imagine that your patron would care much to catalogue the personalities of the entire Lukas family.” He starred at Elias with a strange look in his eyes. One he often saw reflected on his own face. It was a look of confidence that came with Knowing.

Elias found himself intrigued. Few had ever figured out his game in his long life, most of those were fellow avatars who were playing similar games. Peter was far too young to be counted among them so what did he think he knew. “Well, I would say that I learned as much from my predecessor’s notes and the abundance of statements in the archive that discuss your family. I’d much rather hear your theory though.” 

Peter pursed his lips into a slight pout and Jonah was struck with the realization that Peter didn’t realize how ridiculous it made him look. Charming too, an unhelpful part of his mind supplied. “I’ve been trying to puzzle it out for a while. It can be difficult when you don’t Know everything.” Peter teased. “I’ve come to believe that you are connected to the past heads of The Institute somehow. That maybe you share the same consciousness or there is a whole pool of knowledge you get to behold that makes you perfect at your job but the way you talk, there’s no way you haven’t been in the game since before James Wright died. Yet somehow no one knows you. Simon Fairchild and Nathanial wouldn’t hesitate to interfere to gain an upper hand if they thought you were out of you’re depth so they must respect you for some reason.” Peter explained. 

When Jonah looked closer it appeared Peter was holding things back, like a child who refused to raise their hand in class because they didn’t want to give the wrong answer. The fact that he got this far alone pleased Jonah. Intelligence always was so attractive. He smiled a Cheshire grin. “It seems like you have it mostly figured out but I must know, what is the prevailing theory and what gave me away.” 

Peter bit his lip and seemed to be weighing the options in his mind. “I think it’s in the eyes. That’s your whole thing. Watching. Your eyes look the same as James Wright. In fact they look the same as every head of The Institute all the way back to Jonah Magnus if those paintings you have on outside your office are accurate. It’s the same as our fog, we all have it. All of the heads have the same inhumanly bright eyes and they weren’t like that. I met Elias Bouchard in the bathroom at the first holiday party I attended. He offered me his flask if I didn’t tell that he had been spiking the punch with something stronger. His eyes were darker.”

“And what makes you confident it wasn’t just a trick of the light.” Jonah asked, Elias’ voice taking on a musical quality as he almost vibrated with excitement.

“You didn’t remember me for one. I like to think that I stand alone, but not forgotten. It’s more than that though. You talk the same as James Wright and you tease the same. Sure the accent is a bit different but the way you string words together it’s the same and it’s old, like early Victorian old, almost like you were channeling Jonah Magnus himself.”

Jonah found himself laughing with glee. Truly Peter was a gift, smart, charming and so easy to tease. “You really have figured it out haven’t you. We can’t all age like Simon you know, some of us have to use more violent means to maintain our youth.” Peter blushed, and Jonah wondered if it was the violence that aroused him or the mention of his new form. “I am Jonah Magnus in most ways that matter, dear Elias is just a vessel. I am The Watcher after all I couldn’t allow myself to fade to Terminus. It would be quite a setback to lose all the knowledge I gained.”

Most of the night went on like that. Peter asking questions or better yet puzzling out details while Jonah had the chance to gloat. It was delightful and if they ended in bed together after wearing each other out intellectually that was all the better. Peter had developed a buff form though how he had not yet Seen given he was fairly certain Peter didn’t spend much time on deck working while at sea. Still, no matter its origin it would have been a shame to waste it.

Things moved quickly after that. They married in the spring. It was a small affair, with Simon officiating and some of Peter’s more trusted crew as witnesses but given its size it was excessively elaborate. Jonah had always been one for luxury and so everything from the custom suits to the opulent flowers was top of the line. They drank wine from vintages older than Jonah was and while he was certain that long in the bottle made them mediocre at best it was worth Knowing what it would taste like that mattered.

They loved each other and were uniquely suited to one another in a way that was probably incomprehensible to most. Jonah didn’t need someone to constantly be by his side. He needed to focus on steering Gertrude Robinson away from burning down the archive and towards more productive goals. He needed to balance budgets and keep an eye on the other entities. Peter didn’t want to stay beside him either. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all of that. He seemed to get pleasure out of the loneliness that came from separating himself from the man he loved. Although Jonah couldn’t understand the appeal Peter always returned happy as ever with some new fancy liqueur or expensive jewelry (the gaudy sort he loved but could never wear in public given modern society’s fashions) which made their reunion all the sweeter.

Their love was like that of most other couples in that it was based on communication and honesty. There was also a good amount feeding on the fears of others but that just came with the territory.   
Their love language was bickering, betting, and the occasional threat. That is why there is always a half completed copy of divorce papers sitting on the desk of one Elias Bouchard. They were a wonderful prop for threats though he hadn’t actually made use of them in a few years. Sure they promised (or at least Jonah did) to divorce but after the first time or two of following through the paperwork began to seem like a waste when he would just have to marry Peter again. In truth, most of their quarrels were solved by time apart. It simply took parties without Peter telling embarrassing anecdotes about their home life whenever people managed to pin him down or enough time left out at sea before they missed each other’s company. 

The longest they had been apart had been in the months following Peter’s failed ritual. Peter had been furious because he had been so certain their relationship had made it easier for Gertrude to sabotage his plans. It had taken far too long to come to his senses and Jonah wanted no part in being the target of Peter’s frustrations. After all, Jonah had helped Peter with his ritual. He had handled some of the logistical aspects, where to put ads out for tenants, communications with the contractors, and other work that Peter avoided. It wasn’t out of any sort of altruism. He certainly didn’t want the ritual to succeed but he was also confident he understood now what it would take to make a successful ritual and Peter didn’t have it. If trying would make his love happy he would gladly watch him fail. He had even told him as much though he doubted that Peter believed him at the time. It wasn’t until Gertrude stopped the ritual (without a single word about it from her boss) that this became a problem. 

It wasn’t until Peter came back nearly a year later that they actually discussed what until then had been unspoken. They loved one another but they both served a higher cause. Giving Peter people who gave statements as sacrifices was one thing. They both got something out of it. Performing a ritual that would leave their patron as the most powerful in a new world order driven by fear was another. Neither of them would find happiness if the other succeeded but both enjoyed one another too much to end their relationship. It was simply a matter of acknowledging that their patrons would come first when push came to shove. 

In the end, it all worked out to Elias’ advantage when it came time to prepare his ritual. With a single meeting and some sex he had Peter running The Institute while he prepared his next steps from jail. The Archive was almost complete and a quick trip to The Forsaken would finish the job. He was eager to see it finished. 

Jonah only regretted that he had met Peter so late. He would have gladly finished his lifetime as Elias with Peter by his side had the circumstances allowed for it. Unfortunately his ritual required sacrifice. His love for Peter would be sacrificed alongside the man himself if necessary for the good of Beholding. It may have been for the best. Peter did so hate to lose.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the Peter focused chapter. I feel like Peter’s enjoyment of being a lonely bastard is somewhat different from how the other Lukas family members are described as acting.

Peter Lukas never intended to fall in love. He was a creature of solitude and he enjoyed it. One might have thought a childhood without human contact and affection would have made him sad and pitiful or perhaps cold and distant with repressed trauma relating to his sordid past. Maybe he did and he just didn’t know it. Regardless, he enjoyed his solitude and always made the most of it.

As a child he would walk through the winding gardens that seemed like forests to his small form. He would enjoy looking at the leaves and flowers, watching the seasons change the world around him. It was a joyous sort of silence. These plants didn’t need anyone around them to flourish. Not like some of his siblings had before they were removed from the home. Instead the plants seemed to bloom in the silence. It was a good silence. It was freeing, not stifling like that of the house where even noise seemed to be an affront to his relatives sensibilities. There were never any animals, perhaps they sensed the danger that lurked there or perhaps the staff removed them. It made no difference to him though, Peter spent most days outside running through the quiet wood and finding his own ways to amuse himself. 

When he reached adulthood he was expected to join the family businesses. Peter found it amusing that they expected him to know how to handle meetings with their allies when they never taught him how to communicate. Still, he was a fast learner and he was able to figure it out with a little help from the etiquette lessons he had gotten as a child. As far as he could tell he was to remain stoic and withdrawn and drive hard bargains but that was hardly any fun. If he was going to leave his solitude he should make the most out of the opportunity. Sure it wasn’t ideal to interact with so many people but it gave him an opportunity to find the perfect victims. The ones who would be haunted by their loneliness and ripped apart until only their bones remained. After all, if they couldn’t appreciate the joy of solitude that was their own fault. 

Simon Fairchild was the first person he met who seemed to even begin to understand. He was much older than even Nathanial and he had fed countless to the endless sky and boundless sea. He sought out the best victims for his patron. He didn’t simply wait around and feed himself to it when sacrifices weren’t readily available. 

Soon Simon had introduced him to the man he would fall in love with. Jonah Magnus, all knowing asshole and body snatcher extraordinaire. Despite learning the overly dramatic man’s true identity he found himself thinking of him by the name he called him when he first fell for him, Elias Bouchard. 

Peter had met Jonah before he became Elias, back when he was still James Wright. The avatar of Beholding had not made a good impression during their first few meetings. Peter had expected the other man to be voyeuristic but he hadn’t quite expected how much being under The Watcher’s gaze would weigh him down. More than that, he wasn’t certain what it was that made him so worth watching. During their first meeting he must have stared at Peter for an hour straight while he spoke to Simon, his unnaturally bright eyes never blinking. The quarterly luncheons he attended with Nathanial were not much better. Peter still found The Watcher’s gaze turned upon him and while the intimate setting was perfect for negotiations and James Wright mildly entertaining in a debate, feeling his uncle’s disapproval on top of everything else made him sick to his stomach.

Meeting him as Elias Bouchard was much better. The man approached him with that same gaze. One look at him with his tailored suit and slicked back hair made it clear this was not the harried clerk who tried to bribe him with booze at The Institute holiday party. It wasn’t something Peter had considered but it made sense that Beholding would require a transfer of knowledge, that was the whole purpose of The Magnus Institute, to maintain knowledge. Plus he couldn’t complain, Elias let him feed a waiter to The Forsaken and had all but told him which Institute employees to avoid for fear they would try to engage him in a conversation. Plus, he gambled. Peter received no less than seven sacrifices in the week following the event.

It was the sacrifices that really sold him on meeting again instead of just taking off back to sea the way he originally planned. At least that was what he told himself. He had more than enough interactions to justify several months at sea and enough crew that he could feed his patron for just as long. The possibility of gorging himself on so many scared people in such a short window was wholly unnecessary but he found himself eager to meet Elias anyway.

That meeting went even better than the first. They joked about Nathanial and the rest of his family’s stiffness. Though, a lot of it bordered on mean. At least he had someone to air his frustrations out to. Not that he spoke much, he more agreed with Elias by nodding along as the other man shot off the flaws of his family. Elias didn’t seem bothered by it. The man liked to hear himself speak. He watched Peter’s eyes just enough to know when to pull back during his rant on Nathanial’s mismanagement of old family heirlooms when he saw Peter getting bored. He also allowed for silent stretches where he just watched the crowds walking outside. Peter was pleased Elias had taken care to make sure they met somewhere that was all but empty each time. The people they watched were visible only from a distance and although it wasn’t what he was used to there was a loneliness in seeing a crowd and not being part of it. They bet, per usual, and he returned to his ship with four more names, these ones scattered in port cities across the world. A gift for his journey Elias had said.

Peter found himself smiling more than usual as he returned to The Tundra. He had a feeling that his crew wanted to comment on it, fortunately they knew better, or perhaps the glare they received from Tadeas just kept them in line. The Tundra was his escape, someplace he could do his duty as a servant of The Forsaken without his family telling him he was doing it wrong. Part of that was isolating himself during these journeys. 

It was strange. He felt himself missing the banter from time to time. He would find himself wondering if Elias would make fun of him for not thinking ahead when he fed one of the engineers to the fog and later had to fix a small leak on his own. He also found himself browsing the market stalls and souvenir shops that often surrounded the ports. Elias popped into his mind every time he saw a particularly gaudy piece of jewelry or something with an eye motif. He wasn’t really certain what made him think Elias would like those things, the man looked like he stepped off the cover of the latest fashion magazine for men’s business suits but he only made it three stops before being unable to resist buying a hideous gold tie clip with an eye engraved on the front. He kept it in his cabin and really never even considered taking it out. He couldn’t imagine how admitting to buying a gift for Elias Bouchard would go over. Probably with a self satisfied smirk and annoying quip like “Oh you missed me Peter, that’s not very lonely of you.” 

In fact that was almost how it went down even without giving him the gift. Elias Knew he had looked forward to their meeting and gloated about it because he was a complete and total asshole. Every word that came out of Elias Bouchard’s mouth was like music to his ears despite the smug self righteousness that oozed out with every word. Peter wasn’t sure why he liked it so much. Maybe it was the honesty. His relatives hated communication and anything that brought more of it, including conflict. They would rather lie about things if it would end the conversation faster and each word they said made Peter more certain they were already dead inside. Elias on the other hand seemed to make the most of life and enjoy everything he did. If there was something he didn’t enjoy he made it known either directly or if he was feeling especially malicious through over dramatic sighs and expressions of distaste. It was something he noticed James Wright had done as well and he began to wonder if all Beholding avatars were linked in someway. 

The thoughts of Elias didn’t leave him when he went on his next voyage and the next after that. Each time he thought more and more about unraveling the beholding’s mystery and about the way Elias’ mouth would feel against his. It was clear that he had developed feelings for Elias beyond what was strictly professional. He found it was very distracting on a personal level yet somehow it made him feel stronger, he could pull more on his abilities when he thought of the man so it seemed worth his piece of mind. Even if it did mean he had a growing pile of tacky jewelry sitting in his cabin. 

Discovering Elias Bouchard was just the latest vessel for Jonah Magnus made sense. He knew something was off and now he understood how it worked. It was all in the eyes, those bright, inhuman, unwavering eyes. For a long time he had thought of Elias as frail and passive and to find that the man behind those eyes could get his hands dirty was somewhat of a turn on.

Needless to say, learning Elias wasn’t just a fragile manipulative bastard was a huge turn on. Overdramatic, ancient, manipulative bastard with a slight penchant for violence when the situation called for it was much better. It really became a turning point for their relationship. 

Peter found that somehow he grew stronger each time he pulled himself away from his lover. In turn, Elias continued to provide more statements and encouraged him to separate himself whenever he needed to. They found a rhythm that worked and Peter was surprised at how much he enjoyed having a relationship. He had never thought he’d find someone he could stand being with. That seemed to be the Lukas way after all. Everyone in his family had a loveless marriage based on bearing more children. He never expected he would have anything different. Proposing to Elias was a thrill because it was just another way he showed that his way of serving their god was better. He bought him two rings, a gaudy gold ring with amethysts circling a large emerald in an eye pattern. It was the one Elias would never wear in public but it was also the one he knew the ostentatious man would enjoy most. The other was a simple band that he forged himself from old chains he had replaced on The Tundra after they had worn down. It was sentimental but it pleased him to see Elias wearing it on days he snuck into his office at The Institute.

Their marriages were always tenuous. They were both stubborn and they liked to bicker and debate. Sometimes though, Elias let his penchant for drama get the best of him and Peter would find himself retreating to his ship until they both cooled down. Peter was rarely the one who left angry. He could think of one exception that stood out to him. The Silence. Elias had helped him and then The Archivist had destroyed it all. He felt like a fool. Of course Elias wouldn’t have helped if he had any chance of completing it. The Watcher was far too paranoid to let anyone else win. In the end he had to swallow his pride. It had been naive to think that Elias would help him when it went against his own Patrons interests. He would have done the same in his shoes. 

Now though, he had bigger things to worry about. His husband was in jail and somehow expected him to run the entire Institute. In return he had the opportunity to steal away one of Elias’ employees and make them an Avatar but it was quickly starting to seem like more trouble than it was worth. All of that effort, just to rough up his current pet Archivist. It seemed too easy, like a trap. He was a man of his word though and he would assist Elias, at least until it seemed he was putting too much in The Eye’s favor.


End file.
